Sephardim
Spanish-Portuguese Jews
Sephardim are Jews whose ancestors lived in Spain and Portugal before the expulsions of the late 15th century.
They dispersed throughout the Mediterranean, North Africa, and the Ottoman Empire, maintaining distinct religious customs, liturgy, and often a language—Ladino—derived from medieval Spanish.
Sephardic traditions differ from those of Ashkenazim, the Jews of Central and Eastern Europe: Sephardim pronounce Hebrew differently and have their own holiday foods.
Jewish house of worship
- TorahJudaism's core scripture
- rabbiJewish spiritual leader
- halachaJewish legal ruling
- liturgyFormal worship structure
Shabbat · Passover · Haggadah · Rosh Hashanah · Yom Kippur · Sukkot · siddur · beit din
Legendary period of perfection
- AndalusiaSpain's southernmost autonomous community
- CórdobaSpanish and Argentine city
- GranadaAndalusian city with Moorish palace
- AlhambraMedieval Islamic palace-fortress
cuisine · ketubah · folk traditions · poetry · philosophy
Forced permanent removal
- InquisitionChurch tribunal against heretics
- exileBanishment from homeland
- dispersionScattering across space
- crypto-JewsSecretly practicing Jews
Ottoman Empire · Thessaloniki · Amsterdam · refugees · migration · resettlement · communities · enclaves
Sephardic Jews' ancestral language
- proverbsTraditional wisdom capsules
- folksongsCommunal heritage music
- balladsNarrative verse set to music
- endangeredAt risk of extinction
preservation · vernacular · Ottoman · Balkan · Moroccan
synagogue
Jewish house of worship
liturgy · Shabbat · Passover · Haggadah · Rosh Hashanah · Yom Kippur · Sukkot · siddur · beit din
Golden Age
Legendary period of perfection
- AndalusiaSpain's southernmost autonomous community
- CórdobaSpanish and Argentine city
- GranadaAndalusian city with Moorish palace
Alhambra · cuisine · ketubah · folk traditions · poetry · philosophy
expulsion
Forced permanent removal
- InquisitionChurch tribunal against heretics
- exileBanishment from homeland
- dispersionScattering across space
crypto-Jews · Ottoman Empire · Thessaloniki · Amsterdam · refugees · migration · resettlement · communities · enclaves · assimilation
Judeo-Spanish
Sephardic Jews' ancestral language
- proverbsTraditional wisdom capsules
- folksongsCommunal heritage music
- balladsNarrative verse set to music
endangered · preservation · vernacular · Ottoman · Balkan · Moroccan
ancestry
Family line of descent
legacy · descent · family · bloodline · progenitors · forebears · surnames · customs · traditions · heirlooms